Career Advice - Success Is Only Four Steps Away
In fact, success in the world of work requires only that we complete four basic steps. Anyone can do it, given a reasonable amount of energy and common sense.
They are:
1. Provide a product or service that people (employer, customers, et al) want to buy.
2. Assure quality, always.
3. Guarantee full value for the price paid.
4. Make each transaction a pleasure to be repeated.
These four steps apply whatever our career path-- working in a profession or as a salaried employee; serving as a salesperson in a retail shop; or operating our own small business.
At this point, a common sense question begs to be answered. If it is so simple, why aren't more people successful?
Well, success does require commitment and hard work, the extra effort, a burning desire to succeed. Success demands an orientation outward to the needs and desires of the market, rather than inward to our own immediate gratification. The way to success is simple, but it's not easy. Not everyone is willing to pay the price.
The Four Steps
How about providing the product or service people want to buy?
Many of us fail to provide this elementary requirement because we refuse to actually listen to the customer. This happens over and over again whether the buyer is the boss, who hands out assignments; or someone buying our brand of nuts and bolts. Too often we listen, but we don't hear.
Often it is more convenient to provide the product we already have on hand, or the one we can turn out easily, rather than go to the trouble to deliver what the customer wants. We are so busy serving our own needs and interests that we don't have any time or energy left over for the customer.
What's the story on quality and "value for price paid?"
Quality is discretionary - always. It gets left out sometimes when we try to gain a quick profit by cutting a corner on the ingredients we put in the product. Quality is missing when someone doesn't have the interest or the energy to stay an extra half-hour after the office closes to check the shipping list or to proofread the memorandum going to the boss.
"Value for price paid" is essential for success, whether the price for the case of goods is one dollar or one hundred dollars; whether the job is in the mailroom or in the boardroom. If we are interested in success, there is no plausible reason for not delivering quality and value for price paid.
Perhaps the easiest of all the elements in the success formula is the one having to do with attitude: "smile ... be friendly." Anyone can make it "a pleasure to do business."
Take the most obvious example of this reality. Salespersons in retail stores usually work on commission. Their success is a direct line from what they sell to what they earn.
It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the friendlier and more helpful a salesperson is, the more they will sell and the more they will earn (i.e. the more successful they will be).
Being courteous takes very little effort. It is the difference between "What do you want?" and "How may I help you?" It's the difference between ignoring the waiting customer while finishing the joke with another member of the staff or moving briskly to help the would-be-buyer find the correct size in the desired color, at an acceptable price.
When it is all said and done, our personal success depends directly on our being driven by a goal of delivering benefits for those to whom we sell our wares rather than serving our immediate interest.
Anyone can be successful. It is a matter of individual, personal choice. Grab success or leave it for someone else.
XXX
Related Tags: career advice, career counseling, career path, career success, career rewards
To subscribe to Ramon Greenwood's f*ee semi-monthly newsletter, The Career Accelerator, please go to http://www.commonsenseatwork.com/getitnow
A former Senior Vice President of American Express, Ramon is Senior Career Counselor at Common Sense At Work.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Ideas For Finding a Nanny Job
Looking after the welfare of children is a very important job. The role of caregivers in the present - What There is to Know About a Temp Agency
A temp agency is a place were skilled office workers can go to get work. There are a number of diffe - Discovering the Many Ways a Temp Agency Can Assist in a Down Economy
When out of money and unable to find work, often times can look hopeless. However, for many who have - Careers That Require Financial Responsibility
Keeping your finances in order is important for any adult, but if you want to work in certain career - What You Need To Know About Resumes And Cover Letters
If the ways of getting employed is composed of steps, the first task would be to come up with an imp - How To Increase Your Chances Of Getting Hired
In trying to get a job, the person that you are going to impress, aside from your would-be boss, wou - Tips on How to Get Hired in a Flash
Unemployment rate all over the world is undeniably huge. But, the bigger problem that professionals - Tips and Techniques on Finding a Job Quickly
There are three ways on how you can get employed at the soonest possible time- that would be, knowin - Securing Your Lifetime Starts Now
If by the time you're 30 and you still don't know what you want to do with your life, it should alre - Occupational Therapy Jobs For a Career in Nursing
Occupational therapy jobs are undertaken by individuals who are willing to engage their skills in he
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Hollow Eyes Are Not Dark Circles Under The Eyes
Many people of all ages complain of dark circles under their eyes. The phrase "dark circles under th - Career As A Hairstylist
Hairdressing is an art that involves arranging hair for aesthetic purposes, participation in formal - Life After West Point Military School
West Point exists to educate and train Cadets who are commissioned as Officers in the US Army upon G - Work Experience In Fashion - How To Get A Great Opportunity In Fashion Work
Work experience in fashion can be one of the most challenging positions to find. It's a simple equa - Tips for Job Hunting in Today's Market
In order to be competitive in today's job market, you must stand apart from the competition. Just h - Who are the EMTs
You'll find them at Denny's. At least I always do. Denny's, Coco's, Perkin's; any all-night restaura - Hiring A New Assistant?
More and more small businesses and even larger companies are turning to virtual office assista - You Too Can Start an Independent Record Label
It's no big secret, the trick of how to start a record label definitely involves some cash and most - Increased Salary with a Medical Degree: Consider the Options
Physicians are probably one of the highest paid professionals in the world. They make a lot of money - 5 Steps to Becoming a Virtual Assistant
Here are 5 steps that I went through in becoming a virtual assistant. These aren’t official by